Farmers Movement Archive

Cong panel meets governor, Capt warns of social unrest if agri ordinances enacted as laws

Chandigarh Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday apprehended that enacting laws on the farm ordinances will lead to unrest in the border state, already a target of Pakistan to foment trouble. He led a delegation of his party to submit a memorandum to governor VP Singh Badnore, seeking his intervention in non-pursuance of the agriculture Bills in Parliament. Flanked by state party chief Sunil Jakhar and other lawmakers, the CM told the governor that the party felt that any move to tinker with the present procurement system may deepen social unrest among the farmers of the state. “It may not be conducive for the peace and development of the region, which faces serious challenges of public order due to a live international border,” he said. Pointing to Pakistan’s bid to disturb the state’s peace and stability through narco-terror and other anti-India acts, the chief minister later told mediapersons outside the Governor House that these anti-farmer legislations will lead to rise in the people’s anger. “Why are we playing into the hands of Pakistan?” he asked. These Bills, one of which has already been passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, are against national interest, and particularly detrimental to Punjab, where the majority of the farmers tilled less than 5 acres of land and would be the worst hit, Amarinder said. He said the Centre had failed to take the interest of the farmers into account in introducing these ordinances and instead took a stand in favour of corporate houses. The CM said he had written to the Prime Minister thrice on the issue but had not received any response to far. Taking on the Akalis and Sukhbir Badal over their “theatrics and U-turns” on the issue, the CM pointed out that all, except the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were on board at the all-party meeting he had convened on the issue. “All were unanimously against the ordinances except the Akalis, who are now pretending to be opposing them,” he said. Terming the passage of one of the Bills in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday a black day in the history of Parliament, Jakhar said that under pressure from the farmer unions, the Akalis may even go to the extent of enacting the drama of resigning from the NDA government but it will be another farce on its part. The delegation comprised cabinet ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu, MLAs Rana Gurjit Singh, Kuljit Singh Nagra and Dr Raj Kumar Verka and PPCC secretary Capt Sandeep Sandhu.

Hindustan Times

16-09-2020

City